The charity Clic Sargent was a great help to Owen’s family at the time of his death, and Claire decided this year to try to raise money as a way of showing her sister that Owen was still in her thoughts.

So Claire and daughter Sydney, five, decided to have their long hair chopped off. They also decided to donate the hair to the Little Princess Trust, which provides wigs for children undergoing cancer treatment.

On January 15 they put their trust in hairdresser Shelbe Bradshaw, from Stylistics in Stamford, who gave the mother and daughter matching bobs. They were watched by Leanne, her children Olivia, 13, Shannon, 11, and Blake, six, and other family members.

So far Claire has raised £265 through generous sponsorship.

“It had a huge impact when Owen died,” said Claire. “It was a hard time, for my sister especially, and we thought if we could do something to help people but also keep Owen’s memory alive that would be great.

“We don’t want Leanne to think that we are forgetting about him, because we are not.”

Claire is still getting used to her new hairstyle, which is considerably shorter than it used to be. But Sydney is delighted.

“I’m still in a bit of shock,” said Claire. “It went a bit shorter than I was thinking. But I’m getting there. I don’t know how people who have their heads shaved cope.

“But it was worth it for the cause. It’s nice to feel like we are doing something good.

“Syndey loved her new hair cut. She was desperate to show her friends at school.”